Military Rifles for Recreational Use

By Chuck Hawks


Introduction

I should make it clear from the outset that I am neither an expert in the field nor a particular fan of military rifles. What appeals to me is a nicely figured walnut stock of slender and elegant contour, precisely cut checkering, and highly polished finishes on both wood and metal. I insist that all of my rifles be scoped because I prefer to hit what I shoot at, and I want the scope mounted low and over the bore.

These features are not typical of any military rifle I have ever seen, and the only military rifle in its original condition I have ever owned is a Swedish Mauser Model 1896. I once owned a sporting rifle based on a British Lee-Enfield SMLE action, but all that was left of the original military rifle was the action itself. The action had been polished, blued, re-barreled, and re-stocked in black walnut. It looked and handled like a civilian hunting rifle, which was what I wanted. Unmodified late 19th and early 20th Century infantry rifles generally have unreasonably long barrels for hunting purposes, which makes them slow and awkward in the field.

Since the end of the Second World War a great many surplus military rifles have been imported and sold in the United States. Among the best known of these (there have been many others) are the Argentine Mauser Model 1891 (7.65x53); British SMLE Lee-Enfield rifle and Jungle Carbine (.303 British); German Mauser Model 1898 (8x57JS); Italian Carcano Model 1891 (6.5x52); Japanese Arisaka Type 38 (6.5x50) and Type 99 (7.7mm Japanese); Russian Mosin-Nagant Model 1891 (7.62x54R); Spanish Mauser Model 1893 and Model 1895 (7x57); Swedish Mauser Model 1894, Model 1896 and Model 36 (6.5x55); Swiss Schmidt-Rubin Models 1889, 1896, 1896/11, and 31 (7.5mm Swiss); U.S. Model 1892 Krag (.30-40 Krag), Model 1903 Springfield (.30-06), and Model 1917 Enfield (.30-06); and the U.S. M1 Carbine (.30 Carbine).

All of these except the U.S. M1 Carbine (an autoloader) are bolt action rifles. The supply of most of these rifles has long since dried up, but they are still seen on the used market. And a few models are still being imported as various militaries around the world, particularly in the smaller nations, clean out their reserve stocks of obsolete rifles. That list of military rifles, attenuated though it is, is far too long to allow me to cover them all, even briefly. But I will comment on a few of the models I feel are most suitable for the recreational shooter.

Mauser Model 98

I think that the best military action of them all (for sporting purposes) is the German Model 98 Mauser. This action has formed the basis of a great many custom built sporting rifles. It is one of the best bolt actions ever designed, and it heavily influenced the design of all subsequent bolt action rifles. Most "improvements" on the Model 98 design are in fact attempts to cut production costs--the Mauser 98 is an expensive action to manufacture.

German wartime production (both First and Second World Wars) was good at the beginning, but degraded as the war went on. Actions made late in either war are liable to be poorly heat treated and thus soft and unsuitable for sporting purposes. Peacetime production was uniformly good.

In Germany, Model 98 rifles were produced by Mauser, Kreighof, and Simson as well as by government arsenals. Model 98's were also turned out in Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Poland, and perhaps other places.

The Mauser 98 is a better action than most modified Model 98 actions. The latter include the American 1903 Springfield, the 1917 Enfield, and the immensely strong Japanese Arisakas. The Model 98 locks at the front of the bolt by means of two large locking lugs, and ****s on opening. It handles escaping gas from a burst case better than the other military actions. It has a strong, one-piece firing pin. Its safety lug is small and strong. It is located forward of the bolt handle, and turns down into a recess in the receiver. It is a controlled feed action with a full-length extractor that takes a very large bite on the rim on the case. The ejector is fixed and mounted in the receiver. All of these features have been widely copied in subsequent actions, both military and civilian, but seldom are they all present in one action.

A good, sound Model 98 military rifle is well worth having, and worth spending money on to have it converted into a custom sporter. German Model 98's are normally chambered for the 8x57JS, a classic big game cartridge on the order of the .308 Winchester. The military "S" load drove a 154 grain FMJ spitzer bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2880 fps and muzzle energy (ME) of 2835 ft. lbs. With proper bullets there are not many animals it can not take.

1903 Springfield

The U.S. 1903A3 Springfield is also a decent action and it is adaptable to sporting purposes. The military stock has such a short length of pull that few adult shooters can comfortably use it well. A 1903 Springfield rifle almost begs to be re-stocked before it can be used for recreational shooting. In a pinch, a thick slip-on recoil pad can help extend the length of pull.

The action is a modified Mauser 98, modified in an attempt by the U. S. government to avoid paying Mauser royalties. Almost all of the modifications were retrograde, and in any case the ploy failed. Mauser took the U. S. Government to court and won. The Springfield uses a two-piece firing pin that is liable to breakage, a unnecessarily large safety lug on the bolt, a coned breech that leaves part of the head of the case unsupported, and it does not handle escaping gas nearly as well as a Mauser 98.

Many fine custom built hunting rifles have been based on the '03 Springfield action, particularly between the world wars, and if you find a nickel steel or double heat treated Springfield action in good condition it can serve as the basis for a fine custom sporter. Such an action was used as the basis for the American Custom Gunmakers Guild's 1903 Springfield 100th Anniversary presentation rifle, which is as elegant and beautiful a custom sporter as you can imagine.

The .30-06 cartridge, for which the '03 Springfield rifle is chambered, is the most popular all-around big game cartridge in the world. It is the largest and potentially the most powerful of the 20th Century infantry rifle cartridges and served the United States through both World Wars and the Korean War. The American M2 service load drove a 150 grain FMJ spitzer bullet at a MV of 2740 fps and ME of 2500 ft. lbs.

Lee-Enfield Jungle Carbine

The neatest surplus rifle for use "as is" for big game hunting is probably the British Lee-Enfield Jungle Carbine. It is no longer available as surplus, as far as I know, but it has become are so popular that new rifles of the type have been made to fill the demand. The Gibbs Rifle Company offers the Quest II Extreme Carbine, a newly manufactured Jungle Carbine clone in .308 Winchester caliber.

The original Lee-Enfield Jungle carbine is a shortened version of the standard SMLE infantry rifle, and was chambered for the .303 British round. These weighed about 8 pounds, came with a short 20 inch barrel, and had an overall length of about 40 inches. They were handy and hard hitting carbines. If I had to take a stock military rifle deer hunting, this would be the one I would choose.

The .303 British Mk. VII load drove a 174 grain spitzer bullet at a MV of 2440 fps and ME of 2319 ft. lbs. The .303 British has proven itself a fine big game cartridge all over the world with appropriate (expanding) bullets. Do not use military FMJ ammunition for hunting.

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